UAE employees entitled to four-day workweek starting next month

The new updates apply to UAE federal government employees… 

Just in: The UAE government has announced a four-day workweek for federal government departments, effective from July 1, 2023.

Under the latest circulation by the Federal Authority for Human Resources, full-time employees can opt for a four-day workweek provided they complete 40 working hours a week.

In line with the We the UAE 2031 Vision, the workweek changes also allow for flexible working, both inside the country and abroad.

According to The National, in order to be eligible for the three-day weekend, government employees will be required to complete 40 hours per week, working no more than 10 hours a day.

Last year, the UAE government moved to a four-and-a-half day workweek, working half-day on Fridays with flexible working hours and work-from-home options on Fridays.

Sharjah went one step further and implemented a four-day workweek back in January 2022, with Friday, Saturday and Sunday off.

Private companies in the UAE are not required to follow government hours, so it’s unlikely that we’ll get an official announcement changing the private sector working days. However, with the previous changes to the workweek, Dr. Abdul Rahman Abdul Mannan Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, urged private sector companies to follow suit.

The next UAE public holiday of 2023 is two holidays together: Arafat Day and Eid Al Adha. First is Arafat Day, which falls on Dhul Hijjah 9. This is expected to be on Tuesday, June 27, but it’s dependent on the sighting of the moon closer to the time.

The following day after Arafat Day marks the start of Eid al Adha. It is the second and the larger of the two holidays celebrated in Islam. It falls on Dhul Hijjah 10 to 12, which is predicted to correspond to Wednesday, June 28 to Friday June 30. Paired with Arafat Day, we will have a long six-day weekend (for those of us who usually have a two-day weekend).

Images: Getty 

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